Ham and Barley Risotto

Love ham & barley soup? Then you’ll love this risotto-style main dish, made using barley instead of rice.

Photo by Michael Olson

27Ratings

Directions for: Ham and Barley Risotto

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 ½ cup diced onion

1 ½ cup diced celery

1 ½ cup peeled and diced carrot

2 clove garlic, minced

1 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained

½ cup white wine

3 to 3 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 ½ cup diced cooked ham

2 bay leaves

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp celery salt

1 cup diced yellow bell pepper

1 cup diced tomato

salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese

chopped Italian parlsey

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil on medium and add the onion, celery and carrot, sautéing until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and barley and sauté 1 minute more.

2. Add the white wine and stir, simmering until the wine has been absorbed. Start adding the stock a cup at a time, stirring occasionally (unlike traditional rice-based risotto, you don’t have to constantly stir this dish). Add the ham, bay leaves, paprika and celery salt after the first addition of stock and add the yellow pepper and tomato after the third addition of stock. The risotto will take about 45 minutes to cook until the barley is tender – test it by tasting to determine if you need to add the last ½ cup of stock.